CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.
Miles Teller
High Flying Skies! On-Air Film Review of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 26, 2022 - 8:49pm Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Ben Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on May 19th, reviewing “Top Gun: Maverick,” the sequel to the 1980s classic 36 years later … but still features Tom Cruise. In theaters beginning May 27th.
‘War Dogs’ Fires Blanks in a Sorry Attempt at Satire
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 19, 2016 - 6:39am Rating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “War Dogs” is an insufferable, self important, and heavy handed attempt at satire that can’t stop congratulating itself for all the big truths it’s blowing up, bro. “Old School” and “Hangover” director Todd Phillips fancies himself an auteur, but here it seems like he’s imitating David O Russell imitating Martin Scorsese.
Shortage of Spark Makes ‘The Divergent Series: Insurgent’ a Second-String Effort
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 20, 2015 - 6:47am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “The Divergent Series: Insurgent” does nothing to change the “Divergent” series status as an off brand Young Adult epic. As we’ve seen with “The Hunger Games,” these Young Adult franchises can be lots of fun and be faithful to their source material. But “Insurgent” has the same problem as the first two “Harry Potter” films – it’s too faithful, coupled with a dearth of inspiration behind the camera.
‘Whiplash’ Finds a Big Rhythm, Gives it a Backbeat
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 17, 2014 - 7:14pm Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – When is the last time you had a bit of sweat after coming out of a movie? “Whiplash” will do that, and it contains not one action sequence or superhero, unless you consider J.K. Simmons as a sociopathic music guru a hero (he is in a way), and drumming as action (it is).
‘Divergent’ Wastes Talented Cast on Joyless Adaptation
Submitted by BrianTT on March 20, 2014 - 9:12amRating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Despite the best efforts of a game Shailene Woodley and likely future star Theo James, Neil Burger’s “Divergent,” based on the hit book by Veronica Roth, is a joyless, soulless, humorless dud. It is repetitious to the point of parody, never feels like it exists in anything approximating reality, and, like so many “Hunger Games” wannabes, forgets that it’s the characters of that franchise that matter and not the goofy machinations of the plot.
‘That Awkward Moment’ Another Dishonest Rom-Com
Submitted by NickHC on January 31, 2014 - 2:28pmRating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “That Awkward Moment” posits its cheeky hashtag of a title concept as one relating to when Friday night flings yield from becoming Saturday daytime couplings (to paraphrase Woody Harrelson’s wisdom in “Friends with Benefits”).
Riveting ‘The Spectacular Now’ Finds Rare Truth in Young Characters
Submitted by BrianTT on August 8, 2013 - 10:34am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Sundance hit (and Chicago Critics Film Festival Closing Night film) “The Spectacular Now” finally opens in Chicago tomorrow, August 9, 2013 and the film’s already-impressive legion of fans is only going to grow as this stunning achievement hits more markets around the country.
Drinking ‘The Hangover’ Formula, ‘21 and Over’ is a Poor Man’s ‘Animal House’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 3, 2013 - 11:08pm Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – When Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (the writers of “The Hangover” and its sequel) decided to go back in time to college with the same drunk movie formula, their resulting “21 and Over” neglected two major ingredients: being consistently funny and making bold new choices.
‘Footloose’ Remake Dances to Its Own Tune
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 13, 2011 - 4:26pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – If you’re gonna cut loose, “Footloose,” it is best to do what the production team and cast did in cutting this remake of the 1980s kitschy classic – pay deep homage to the source and modify it with a energetic and contemporary spin on the dance floor.
Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart Avoid Melodrama in Moving ‘Rabbit Hole’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 23, 2010 - 4:52pmRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – John Cameron Mitchell’s “Rabbit Hole” tells a story not uncommon to cinema in its exploration of the emotional minefield that comes after the loss of a child but it does so with such restraint and humanity that it sets itself apart. With some of the best performances of the year from Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, and Dianne Wiest, this is one of the strongest dramas of the awards season.
